Life Worth Dying For
by PandaPower
Summary: Set after 3x13. Klaus tries to figure out what makes Caroline Forbes so special and is surprised to find what they have in common. Their budding romance, along with all the residents of Mystic Falls, may not survive Abby Bennet's new plan to kill Klaus.


Chapter 1

Bonnie's eyes flickered open to Abby hovering over her. Candlelight danced over her mother's unfathomable expression. Throbbing pain erupted from the back of her neck and she rubbed her hand across the gash left from the jagged rock. She couldn't help but grimace at the livid scrapes across her arms and face. A moment later, her confusion lifted and she sat up with a sudden gasp.

"The coffin…it opened…" She whispered, frowning as she tried to piece her memory back together.

"Yes, Bonnie," Abby said slowly. Bonnie's fearful gaze locked on the coffin in question. The lid had been torn clean off. Its splintered remnants were strewn across the cavern floor.

"Who was she? The woman?" Bonnie asked shakily as she observed the damage.

Abby heaved a heavy sigh. Bonnie frowned deeply as she saw the resignation enter her mother's eyes.

"Her name was Esther, Bonnie. She's Klaus' mother, and also a witch. She tricked us into letting her out. I don't think she'll be any help to us."

Bonnie supported herself against the cold stone walls as she struggled to a stand. Furious tears of frustration gathered in the witch's eyes. "Then it was all for nothing!"

Abby shook her head sadly. "No Bonnie. There's another way."

Without warning, agony seared through Bonnie's forehead. The world turned black and Bonnie fell to the ground in a heap at her mother's feet.

Abby couldn't bring herself to look at her daughter as she dragged her from the cave.

"I'm sorry baby," she whispered. "I wish there was another way. But there's not. It's gotta be you."

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Caroline shrieked as she awoke from her nightmare. Her heart thundered as she gasped in fear. She sat upright in her bed, cowering beneath the covers. Her eyes flitted nervously across her bedroom.

_It can't be true. It just can't be._

Caroline threw back the covers

_It was all a bad dream, Caroline, just a bad dream._

In a flash, she flitted downstairs and into her kitchen. Even though it cost her nothing more than a mere sliver of energy, her breaths were quick and ragged. Caroline's entire body trembled from head to toe as she gazed at the slip of paper on the kitchen table.

_Caroline,_

_ I'm out making arrangements for the funeral. I wanted to let you sleep. I will be home soon, I promise. I love you so, so much._

_ Mom_

A strangled cry came from her mouth before she could stop it. Backing against the wall, tears bubbled up in her eyes and streaked down her cheeks.

_He's dead. He's really dead._

Just as she felt another wail of anguish building in her throat, the doorbell rang.

Caroline closed her eyes and massaged her pounding forehead. Somehow, the prospect of company only buried her deeper in sorrow. She needed time to cry, time to grieve. Nevertheless, she swiped a Kleenex from the box on the counter and blotted away her tears as best as she could. As she rounded the corner, her wide eyes locked on his face and her heart plummeted with dread.

It wasn't Elena, Bonnie, or Matt coming to comfort her. It wasn't Tyler coming to explain himself and hold her as she cried.

It was Klaus.

Fear pulsed through her veins as she strode numbly to the door, avoiding the piercing gaze of the hybrid who waited on her porch. Along with the fear came the sharp pain in her gums as her fangs throbbed with longing.

How she'd love to tear him limb from limb.

It didn't matter that he'd saved her life only a handful of nights previous. She'd been a fool to think for one moment Klaus had gone soft. He'd hurt too many people she cared about. But even more than the rage for all he'd done in the past was her burning desire to avenge her father's death. He might've died at the hands of someone else, but Caroline had learned enough of Klaus to know that every tragedy in Mystic Falls boiled down to the demon standing in front of her.

She threw open the door and placed a hand on her hip. Caroline glared venomously at the baffled original, digging her fingernails into the wood of the doorframe to restrain the urge to tear into his impenetrable skin.

Frowning at the intensity of her stare, Klaus gave a tiny bow of greeting. "Hello Caroline."

"Klaus," she snarled through bared teeth. "Haven't you done enough damage already?"

Caroline's voice shook, fresh tears brimming in her eyes even as she fought to compose herself.

Klaus furrowed his brow in confusion, eyes anxious as he witnessed her distress.

"Caroline, love, what on earth do you mean?"

"My dad died yesterday." She blubbered. "It might not have been you, but you had Tyler bite me the other night. You might've saved my life once, but I'm pretty sure killing my dad and trying to kill Alaric wouldn't have fazed you for a second. So tell me what you want or get the hell out of my house!"

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Of course she would think he was a monster. Wasn't that what he'd always been? She was right – killing Bill Forbes and Alaric Saltzman would not have made him feel a thing. But seeing her crumble before his eyes put an unwelcome ache in his heart. She might've been a silly, nonsensical youngling compared to him, but something had struck him about her the night Tyler had tried feebly to disobey him. Of course, the entire scenario was a ruse to win over Sherrif Forbes. If his family was to be whole again, he could not have petty humans pretending to have power and poking in his business. Had he let Caroline die, it would not have worked so smoothly.

But there was more to it than that.

Tyler was the only hybrid bent on breaking from him. It didn't matter that he was the first, and he no longer felt gratitude towards Klaus for saving him a lifetime of agonizing transformations. The others had bent to his will. Tyler had never openly questioned him until he commanded him to harm his dear Caroline.

When he came to her bedside that night, in a pitiful state though she was, he'd seen a spark in the blonde spitfire of a vampire. Yes, Niklaus had seen something of himself in Caroline Forbes, something that he intended to foster.

Klaus and brushed her tears away with his thumb, lightly caressing her cheek before drawing his hand back. "Caroline, words cannot express my deepest condolences. I give you my word – I swear it on the lives of all my family and my own – I had nothing to do with your father's death." She recoiled from his touch, though her rage was quickly dissolving into despair.

Klaus stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and took her in his arms as she succumbed to her grief.

"I know you think low of me, Caroline," he sighed, "but let me help you. I know what it is to lose everyone you cared about. I know the impossible pain of having someone who's supposed to care for you become your enemy." He pulled away and lifted her chin gently with his fingers.

"Why are you doing this?" She sniffled. "Why are you even here."

At her question, a brilliant smile curved on Klaus' lips. "I heard you like dances, Caroline. Is this so?"

Caroline nodded warily as she took a small step away from him. "I love dances."

"Well then," he chuckled. "I think I know something that may cheer you up, love. You are cordially invited to a ball at my family's home in three days time."

She blinked back at him in shock. "A _ball_?"

Before he could say anymore, her phone began to ring and she turned to grab it. When she looked back, the hybrid was gone.

Frowning to herself, Caroline answered her phone. "Elena?"

"Caroline…something terrible has happened," Elena's voice cracked as she spoke, and Caroline felt her stomach twist with dismay.

"What happened? Elena?"

"Caroline…it's Bonnie. She's dead."


End file.
